And With A Shout
by Cocoon02
Summary: What would happen if Serah and Noel went into... the past! When a Gate takes them to Palumpolum, all kinds of events get twisted. Specifically, a certain explosion...
1. Paradox

**Author's Note:**Just a little scenario I came up with :)

* * *

"You ready?"

"As ready as I was last time."

"Kupo!"

"Let's go, then."

With a laugh, Serah playfully shoved Noel towards the activated Gate. As he began to dissolve into it, he dragged her in with him.

Floating through the Historia Crux always felt a little wierd, no matter how many times Serah had done it. It felt like her very molecules were dissassembling themselves and then putting themselves back together, all in a nanosecond, over and over again. It was an odd sensation, though not unpleasant. While Noel always insisted that he didn't feel a thing, she noticed that he often had a slight look of relief on his face when they got out on the other side.

"Where do you think we'll end up this time?" Serah asked him.

"Who knows?" Noel floated in circles around her, "But considering we keep ending up in the future, it's a safe bet we'll end up there again."

Serah was inclined to agree. Even the first Gate they'd went through had taken them into the future, two years to be precise. Since then, they'd been everywhere from 10AF to 700AF. The future seemed like a likely destination.

"Hopefully somewhere with food, Kupo!" Mog cried.

"I hope we find Lightning!" Serah said brightly, "Maybe then we can finally defeat Caius."

"Oh, I'm not good enough for ya?"

Serah laughed, "You know that's not what I meant, Noel."

"Yeah, I-Here we go!"

Their molecules sped up even more as they exited the Historia Crux.

They stumbled out of the Gate, and onto the roof of a building. Serah recovered quicker than Noel, and while he was still getting to his feet, she looked around.

The city was familliar to her. Looking around... yes, this place was very familliar. Judging by the buildings, they were probably in a housing area. Apartments and such. But this place was definitely _not_ in the future, so that must mean...

Noel gave a satisfied groan, "Wonder where we ended up? This doesn't look like any part of Pulse I've ever seen." He cocked his head at Serah, "What do you think?"

Serah's thoughts raced, trying to think of _when_ they could possibly be. From what she could see, the city didn't look much different from the last time she'd been there. But then again, nothing on Cocoon ever changed much...

"Serah? Are you-"

"Palumpolum."

"What?"

"Where we are." Serah gestured to the city below them, "We're in Palumpolum."

"Isn't that Hope's hometown?" after a moment, Noel's blue eyes widened, "Wait, we're on Cocoon?"

"I guess so."

Noel began to walk around, taking in the city around him, "I guess we didn't go into the future after all."

Suddenly, the building began to rumble underneath their feet. Serah stumbled, and clung to Noel for support, "Noel..." The rumbling got worse, and then a big, orange, _thing_ flew past them. "What the hell was _that_!" Noel shouted.

Whatever it was, it heard Noel's shout, and took it as a challenge. Or maybe it was just mad. In any case, the orange machine doubled back. Before either of the two time-travelers had time to react, it opened fire.

"Look out!" Noel shoved Serah out of harms' way and drew his swords all in the same motion. Launching himself at the monstrosity, he made to attack, but was slammed back onto the concrete surface of the roof.

"Noel!" Serah screamed. He began to rise, indicating that he wasn't too badly injured. But now Serah was mad. She called for Mog, who transformed into her bow. Shooting several arrows at the monster, with most bouncing harmlessly off, her attacks were soon joined by some elemental spells. Noel, now standing beside Serah, had decided it would be better to _not_ try attacking with his swords again. The orange machine was caught off guard by Noel's attacks, but quickly bounced back. Extra turrets came out of it's sides, and it hit them with a fresh barrage of bullets.

Giving up on the arrows, Serah let Mog go (who then hid behind a crate), and joined Noel in attacking the thing with magic. If the magic was actually _hurting_ the monster was anyone's guess, but it was disorienting it. As long as they kept hitting it, it didn't shoot. At first. Then it decided to fly in circles around them, letting loose all it had. With the machine now being a moving target, their accuracy was hindered. Only a few spells hit it now.

"Is that all you got!" Noel shouted. Every shot the monster took missed them by a mile. "I know cats that can shoot better!" Mog could be heard laughing behind them.

At that moment, Serah cried out in pain. Noel, abandoning the fight, turned to see her lying on the ground, clutching her shoulder. He knelt beside her, "Serah, are you okay?"

She nodded, pain clear on her face, and pointed behind him.

The orange machine appeared to be satisfied having put one of them on the ground. It shot at them once more, then flew off.

Noel directed a rude gesture at the retreating monster. He then turned back to Serah, helped her up, "You okay?" He nodded at her shoulder.

She removed her hand, revealing the wound. The bullet simply grazed her shoulder. "I'm fine." She shrugged, then winced.

"Come on." Noel said genlty, "Let's go."

* * *

A few rooftops later:

"Then why don't you tell me what I deserve!"

Serah and Noel exchanged a glance, that sounded like-

"The same fate!" This voice was much higher, and cracked on the last word.

The two ran forward (while Mog floated along) until they saw a short, silver-haired boy. He walked forward, towards the edge of the roof, and flipped out the blade of a knife. He was speaking to someone below him. It was-

"Snow!" Serah whispered.

The boy dropped to his knees, brought the knife above his head...

Serah saw what he was going to do. Noel tried to stop her, but she ran forward, "NO!" she screamed.

The boy turned. The look of suprise on his face was plain. His lips formed a word, but she couldn't hear it. He stood, the knife hanging to his side. There was... something about his face... Serah realized who he was, and stopped dead.

"Hope?"

Hope's attention was elsewhere. Serah turned her head to the side, just as he had, and saw what had captured his focus. A millitary ship preparing to fire.

Hope began to scramble backwards, away from the ship.

Which was a mistake.

The ship fired missles, or something, which flew behind Hope before... exploding. The force of it flung Hope off of the building.

"Hope!" Serah and Snow screamed at the same time.

Serah felt gentle hands pull her roughly back, away from the explosion. She knew it was just Noel, but she fought anyway. "Let me go!" she cried, "We've gotta save Ho-!" Noel clapped his hand over her mouth. Serah continued to struggle, and Mog attacked his head, but Noel refused to let her go until the ship left.

Finally free, Serah turned hotly to Noel, until she realized that he had pulled her behind a wall, where the millitary wouldn't see them. "Thanks." she said breathlessly.

Noel just nodded. The three of them made their way to the edge of the roof, where Hope had fallen from. Looking down, they saw both the boy and Snow lying, dead or unconcious, on the ground. Serah got down on her hands and knees, and called out to them. No response.

Mog didn't mind Snow that much (unlike Noel), so he decided to fly down to see if they were okay. As Serah watched the moogle hover over her fallen friends, she felt Noel's hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure they're fine, Serah. You know Snow, nothing can keep him down."

Serah looked sadly up at Noel, "But what about Hope?"

Noel had nothing to say to that. Hope _had_ been awfully close to the explosion. And falling that far... There was no telling if the kid was still alive.

At that point, Mog came fluttering back up, "They're alive, Kupo."

Both time-travelers felt relief wash over them. "We've got to get down there." Noel said. Serah stood, nodded.

* * *

_"Nora Estheim. She was my mother. And she died because of you!" _

_Realization hit Snow in the face. It was _him._ "You-you're the one she meant!"_

_Hope dropped to his knees. He drew the knife above his head, he was prepared to end it. The look in his eyes was pure hatred, loathing for the man at his mercy. He would get his revenge._

_And Snow was going to let him._

_Hanging off the edge of a building, Snow was sure death would come anyway. Better to have Hope settle the score, than to just fall. He braced himself for the knife that would momentarily be in his skull._

_But it never came._

_Snow looked up and saw Hope standing, staring at something that he couldn't see. He held the knife loosely at his side, his revenge momentarily forgotten. His expression was a mix of suprise and confusion. _

_"Serah?"_

_Snow's eyes widened. Serah? What?_

_Before Snow could even _begin_ to think about what could be going on, Hope scrambled back, his eyes wide with fear. Snow had only seconds to be confused, before Hope was thrown off the building by an explosion._

_"Hope!" He shouted. He let go, and fell after Hope. He caught him, and shielded the boy with his body as they fell._

* * *

Snow awoke to see Serah and a stranger looking down at him. His first thought was that he was dreaming. But then he thought that his head wouldn't hurt so much if he was dreaming. He sat up, massaging the back of his head, "Serah?"

Serah hugged him, "You're alive!" she said, relieved.

The stranger spoke up, "You okay?" he asked.

Snow looked him over. He didn't look like a bad guy. The concern on his face was genuine, or maybe he was a really good actor. Nonetheless, if he was keeping company with Serah, he couldn't be all bad.

"Who are you?" Snow asked.

"Noel Kriess. And don't worry, I'm not the enemy." A little, white, _thing_ suddenly appeared by his head.

"Kupo!" it said.

Snow recoiled from the thing, but Serah just laughed and walked over to it, "There you are!" she said almost lovingly. She turned to Snow, "This is Mog."

"Huh." Snow stood, not taking his eyes off Noel, or the little creature, "What are you?"

"I'm a moogle! Kupo!" The thing bobbed up and down in the air a few times, then flew around Serah's head. Noel looked slightly annoyed. "Cut it out!" Noel swiped at Mog, who dodged. "You're mean!" he (Snow assumed it was a he) said. Serah just laughed.

Hope moaned.

Snow spun to face the boy, he'd almost forgetten about him. He, Serah, and Noel went and knelt beside him, while Mog hovered overhead. He was lying on his stomach, with his arms on the ground in front of him. He appeared to be fine, outwardly, but internally could be a whole different story.

Serah placed a hand on his back, "Hope?"

"Serah..." he mumbled unconciously.

Snow clenched his hand into a fist, "I'm sorry..." It was his fault. He'd promised Lightning, and Nora, that he'd protect Hope, keep him safe. '_Good job.'_ he thought to himself, disgusted.

Just then, the moogle dropped something into his lap. The knife. Snow held it in his hand, turned it over a few times. Lightning's knife. Serah stared at it, "That's-"

"Lightning's." Snow said, "But why does he have it?"

"More importantly," Noel cut in, "why did he try to kill you with it?"

Snow sighed, "His mother died... beacause of me."

Serah's heart went out to both of them, "Snow-"

"No. Serah. It was my fault. I put her in danger." Snow gripped the knife tighter, "I couldn't save her."

Hope groaned. His eyelids fluttered.

"He's waking up! Kupo!" Mog wiggled his little body.

* * *

As Hope regained conciousness, his face contorted in pain. His gloved fingers groped the ground for something solid, something to hold on to. Something was... digging into him. He cried out.

"Hope!" An unfamilliar voice said, "Are you okay?"

Hope rolled onto his side, to be greeted by gasps and two familliar faces.

"Maker." The unknown man cursed.

There was a chunk of broken glass stuck in Hope's chest. The wound hadn't bled much while he was unconcious, but now that he was awake and moving, blood began to slowly soak his shirt. He looked up from it at the others, terrified.

"Kupo!" A little white thing screamed at the sight of blood, and flew behind a crate.

"Hope..." Serah said calmly. Her presence, though unnerving and confusing, calmed him.

"Don't worry, kid. We'll get help." Snow said, then cursed. Footsteps could be heard.

The unknown stranger scooped Hope up in his arms, who gave a gasp of pain. "We've gotta go!" The man said.

Snow and Serah nodded. "Come on, Mog." Serah called, and the little white thing came out of it's hiding spot.

They ran. But the footsteps kept getting closer. After a minute or so, Snow realized that-

"Damn, we're running toward them!" Not that they'd had much choice, there was only one way they could go. Snow and Serah stood defensively in front of Hope and Noel as the owners of the footsteps rounded the corner.

It was Lightning, and the woman from earlier, who's name Hope still did not know.

"Serah?" Lightning said incredulously.

"Lightning!" Serah rushed forward into the arms of her sister. Snow relaxed, he nodded at the woman, "We thought you might be-"

"The army?"

Snow rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah."

"Serah, how?" Lightning asked.

"I promise, I'll tell you later." Serah said, "But right now we don't have time."

It was then that the other woman noticed Hope, "Aw, hell."

"What, Fang?" Lightning followed her gaze, "Hope-?"

Noel walked forward with him, "He needs help, now."

Fang put her hands on her hips, "And who are you?"

"Does that really matter?"

"Maybe to me it-"

"He's a friend, Fang." Serah interrupted, "He just wants to help."

Hope coughed, and pain shot through his body. He moaned. Seeing him in pain softened Fang a bit, "Fine. But if he does anything funny..." Serah gave an exasperated sigh.

"Well, where to now?" Snow asked, "I mean, we can't just go waltzing into a hospital. They'd kill us on the spot."

While the others were at a loss, Hope knew exactly what to do.

"Take me home." he told Lightning.

She hesitated, "That might not be the best idea."

"My neighbor, she's a doctor. She won't turn us in, please Light, you have to trust..." he trailed off, and suddenly his body convulsed, Noel nearly dropped him. Hope began to slip out of conciousness, "me..." he finished, then went limp.

"Kupo!" Mog floated around him.

Everyone looked to Lightning for direction. She turned away. Going to Hope's neighbor was a risk. He might believe she wouldn't turn them in, but who could really say for sure? She wasn't willing to put Hope's life in the hands of PSICOM if they were turned in. But again, if they didn't take the risk, and he died, his blood would be on her hands. It should have been a no-brainer, there was nowhere else they could go. Either way, he could die...

"Lightning-" Snow started.

She whipped around, and walked over to Noel, held out her arms, "Give him to me."

"Ligh-"

"Listen to her, Noel." Serah said.

Noel obeyed, and handed over the unconcious teen. Lightning nodded her approval at his compliance, turned, and began to walk away.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Fang asked.

Lightning stopped, but did not face the others, "Hope's place. His dad will know which neighbor Hope was talking about. And besides, he needs to know about his wife." She started forward again. Mog was the first to follow. Snow followed with a shrug moments later. Then came the rest.

* * *

If anyone had told Bartholomew Estheim that his day was going to be interrupted by six people; four of which were l'Cie, one of which was his own son, covered in blood, he would have told them to get their head examined. But that is exactly what he opened his door to that day.

The look of confusion and suprise on his face was rivaled only by the fear in his eyes as he looked upon his son. But by the time he looked up at Lightning, he had regained his composure, "Who are you? What's going on?"

"Mr. Estheim, please." Lightning said, "He doesn't have much time. He said your neighbor was a doctor."

"Yes." he said, "But-"

"Sir, we will give a full explination, I promise. But I also promised to protect your son, and I can't do that if he's dead."

Bartholomew gulped, "Of course. Bring him inside, I'll go get Mrs. M." He stood aside as the group entered his house, and nearly had a heart attack when Mog bobbed right in front of him with a loud, "Kupo!" He gave one last worried look in the direction of his son before leaving.

* * *

**Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuuun. **

**I always thought it was kinda unrealistic that Hope wasn't hurt _at all_ in that explosion. I mean, seriously, he was like, 10 feet away from it. And coming out of that completely unhurt? Only in a video game...**

**Anyhoo, I intend to finish this up in one more chapter. I don't think I can extend it into a third. But ya know, as long as the story gets told right?**

**Please review!**


	2. Hope

**Author's Note: **Ah, reviews. They make my heart sing! Glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I was thinking, and since it was mentioned that the first chapter went a little fast, I'm gonna make the next two go slower. That's right, I said **two**.

P.S. I honestly don't like Hope's dad. He bugs me...

* * *

The l'Cie and the time-travelers looked up as they heard the door slide open. Bartholomew Estheim entered the room with a sigh, and closed the door behind him. Taking a seat on the only unoccupied chair in the living room, he buried his face in his hands.

The silence he created by walking in was a little awkward. Everyone wanted to ask the question, but they were all afraid to. Specifically, they were afraid of the answer. Especially Serah. She was one of two people in the room that knew how Hope turned out, what he grew up to be. She was afraid that her interference... She was afraid that because of her, Hope would die.

Finally, Fang plucked up the courage to ask, "Is the kid gonna be okay?"

Hope's dad sighed again. He took his face out of his hands, and stared at them, "It could go either way."

Everyone in the room stared at the floor.

Lightning looked up again when Bartholomew spoke to her, his voice rough, "You said you would explain. So, please..."

"Well, I-" she took a deep breath, "First, you should probably know... Sir, your wife, Nora-"

"What about her?" Bartholomew interrupted.

"She's... dead."

For a second, he looked like he didn't know how to react. His jaw simply hung slack as he stared at Lightning. After a few moments, it hit him, and he buried his face again, "Nora..."

The group fell into awkward silence again until Snow said, "It's all my fault." All eyes turned to him as he stood, "I put her in danger. I shouldn't have let-" he bowed his head in shame, "I couldn't save her."

Silence fell on them yet again. But this time, it was a thoughtful silence. Bartholomew looked around, "Who-who are you people?"

"Well, Fang, Snow, and I-" Lightning nodded to the two, "-are l'Cie. And... and so is Hope."

"And Noel and I are, uh..." Serah hesitated, not sure if anyone would believe her.

"From the future." Noel finished for her. Everyone gave him a strange look. (Except Serah)

"Don't forget about me, Kupo!" Mog flew around everybody's heads.

The information overload was making Bartholomew's brain go fuzzy. There was so much to take in... These people, and Hope, and... and Nora. A wave of sadness and pain washed over him. If-if only he'd gone to Bohdum. If only he hadn't been so caught up with work, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe he wouldn't have lost his family...

The pain was becoming unbearable, so he focused on something else: learning the facts. "My son. What happened?" his voice dripped with the pain he was feeling.

That's... my fault too." Snow admitted, "He wanted revenge on me, for Nora's death. It's my fault he's a l'Cie, and it's my fault he got hurt." Shame burned at his heart.

"It was more complicated than that, Snow." Lightning said. She proceeded to tell Hope's father everything she knew. How Hope watched his mother die. How Vanille accompanied him, or perhaps led him, into the Vestige. How they became l'Cie. Their theories about their focus. She told him about how Hope followed her through the Vile Peaks, wanting to be stronger. She told him how Hope opened up to her in the Whitewood, telling her exactly _why_ he hated Snow so much. She told him everything, up until she left Hope in Snow's care.

"You shouldn't have done that." Snow muttered.

Fang put her hands on her hips, "Listen, big guy. She was just doing what she-"

"Thought was best?" Snow scoffed, "Look how that turned out." Serah gently gripped his arm, "Snow... He doesn't blame you. Trust me, I know." Snow just looked away.

"She's right, Snow." Noel cut in, "We're from the future, remember? We _know_ Hope doesn't blame you for this."

Just then, the doctor stepped into the room. She was an older woman, her greying hair up in a tight bun. Wiping blood off her hands with a cloth, her face wore a serious expression. But her kind eyes gave everyone hope. Bartholomew rose, "Mrs. M, is he-"

"I told you, call me Emmie." the woman said. She smiled, "Your boy is gonna be fine." Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Needs rest is all. A sight more than he is going to get considering his... situation." Seeing the look on the father's face, she added, "Yes, go see him. But not all of you at once," she said sternly.

The decision was unanimus that Bartholomew see his son alone. Even setting aside the fact that their relationship wasn't the best, the l'Cie knew that, no matter what happened with their focus, this would likely be the last time he would see his son. The time-travelers remained silent.

As Hope's father left, Lightning spoke, "He's really going to be okay?"

Mrs. M nodded, stepping towards the group, "He's a lucky one. That spasm you said he had, pushed the glass away from anything important." Her face turned serious again, "I know what you are, so I know you can't stay here. But please, take care of him."

Snow nodded, and Lightning said, "That's my plan."

The woman gave them a look of approval. "Now, I don't want to pry, but... What happened to Nora? She was the sweetest thing, nice as you could be. Raised her boy well. Poor girl had so much life left in her..."

For the second time that day, Lightning told all she knew of Nora's death, with Snow jumping in here and there, filling in little details that she didn't know. The doctor was saddened by the tale, but she was also proud. She was proud of Nora, risking her life for her son. Even her last words were to help him.

_"Hope... Get him home. Please..." _

As the story came to a close, Bartholomew stepped back into the room. He looked happier than he did before, though Fang figured that the worry would never completely leave his features. Unless they somehow beat their focus, and he saw his son again. He looked at Lightning, "He's asking for you."

* * *

Lightning felt a little wierd walking into Hope's room. Her automatic reaction to another person's bedroom was to label it 'out of bounds'. But she went in. It was very plain. There was very little in the room that suggested it belonged to a fourteen-year-old boy. Not much besides the boy himself.

Hope was on his bed, staring at the wall. His bloodied clothes had been removed, and were lying at the foot of the bed, leaving him with just his pants. A clean, white bandage was wrapped around his bare torso. He turned his head when he heard her enter the room, and gave her a smile, "Hey, Light." His voice was strong, which made Lightning feel a whole lot better. "Hey." she replied. She sat next to him on the bed.

Hope's smile faded, "I'm sorry, Light. I should have listened to you."

Lightning shook her head, "No. I was the one who left you with Snow. You weren't ready. I should've-"

Hope took her hand to shut her up, "No, Light. I _was_ ready. Just not for what I thought I needed to be ready for. You were right, it wasn't Snow that killed my mother. It was the Sanctum."

Placing her other hand on top of his, Lightning's heart filled with pride. He had gotten stronger. Not just in the fact that his magical strength greatly surpassed hers, but he had the strength to face the truth, and accept reality. Something she still had trouble with. She smiled, "I really am sorry about your mother Hope, but I am so proud of you."

Hope blushed a little, not expecting such praise from the soldier, "Yeah, well, too bad it took me almost dying for me to figure that out."

Lightning chuckled a little, and ruffled his silver hair, "Try not to make a habit of that."

"I won't." Hope laughed.

"Uh..."

Lightning and Hope turned their heads to see Snow standing awkwardly in the doorway. He looked like he wanted to say something, but either didn't know how, or just couldn't. Lightning waved him over, "Come on, Snow. We don't bite."

"Ha." Snow walked over, "'Don't bite.' You're funny, Sis. I seem to remember getting hit, by _both_ of you."

"Don't call me that. And I only hit you when you deserve it." Lightning teased.

"I _deserved_ your knife in my skull." Snow looked at Hope, "But that didn't happen."

"Well, it would've," Hope admitted, "if Serah hadn't yelled at me."*

"Guess I should thank her then." he shuffled his feet, "Listen, Hope. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let her fight. She died because I wasn't thinking. If-if you still want to kill me after this, I won't stop you."

Hope sighed, "I'm not a killer, Snow. And I don't blame you, not anymore. Neither of us were thinking. Besides, you saved my life." he held his hand out for Snow to shake, "So, how 'bout we call it even?"

Snow was dumbfounded by the teen's behavior, but shook his hand, "Sure, kid. Even."

* * *

Lightning and Snow had dissappeared into Hope's room. Bartholomew and Mrs. M were talking, and Fang was just sitting on the couch like she owned the place. But Noel was distracted, thinking about something that bothered him. He pulled Serah aside to talk about it.

"Serah, why do you think we ended up here?"

Blue eyes met blue, "What do you mean?"

"Well, everywhere else we ended up, there was a paradox, something we had to fix. But the wierdest thing that's happened here today, is us."

"What're you saying?"

Noel ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to explain, "Do you know what happened here, in the original version of history? I mean, was Hope hurt then?"

Serah thought for a moment, "I...I don't think so. No. He wasn't." She cocked her head, "What are you getting at?"

"Serah, what if _we're the paradox_?"

* * *

That night, a very important decision had to be made. _How long were they going to stay put?_ Longer than they wanted to, since Hope needed to heal. They didn't want to leave too early, but at the same time, they couldn't stay too long. The longer they stayed, the more danger they were putting themselves in. Not to mention the danger Hope's father and neighbor were in.

The weight of this decision was on Lightning's shoulders. They were all looking to her for the answers, even Noel and her sister. This wasn't as easy as the decision to come here, there were more factors, more lives at stake. If they left too soon, Hope might not be able to handle it, but they might have a greater chance of getting away before the army found them. If they stayed too long, the army might find them, and then they'd all be dead. Lightning sat silently for a while, mulling over every option, trying to find the best way out.

But she was spared from making that decision.

Because the army found them.

They came in through the ceiling, the windows, the doors. Anywhere a body could come through, a soldier appeared. Bartholomew immediately retreated to his son's room, while the others stood and fought.

Soldier after soldier came in, and soldier after soldier went down.

* * *

***Every time Serah yells at Hope, she stops him from doing something stupid. Hmm... (he didn't do it anyway, cuz, ya know, he got BLOWN UP) **

**Hope I lived up to your expectations! This time, I honestly, truly, plan to end it in the next chapter. **

**Please review!**


	3. The End

**Author's Note:** Alright guys, here it is, the final chapter...

* * *

_Soldier after soldier came in, and soldier after soldier went down._

* * *

Feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline through her veins, Lightning barely noticed the bullets that passed just inches by her head. She just cut down each soldier that came in her sights, refusing to let them get to Hope. The lights had been cut, so the only light was from an occasional spell.

Something hit her on the head from behind. She stumbled, fighting back stars. The something that hit her turned out to be the butt of a gun, the other end of which was pointed at her as she turned around.

Wondering why her head hadn't been blown off, Lightning slowly raised her sword. She wasn't going down without a fight.

An arrow pierced the neck of the soldier, and he tumbled into a heap on the floor. The origin of the arrow turned out to be... Serah. _Where did she get that bow?_ She flashed Lightning a smile, and went back to fighting.

Cutting down the soldiers was still her number one priority, but Lightning kept an eye on her sister. The younger girl was fighting side by side with Noel, and doing really well. The two fought together like they had been doing it for years, which, Lightning realized, they might have been.

There seemed to be no end to the amount of soldiers that entered the house. But their numbers were no match for the skill of the l'Cie and the time-travelers. They were merely bugs to be crushed.

Eventually they retreated. They must have been ordered to do so because they all pulled out at once, leaving Lightning and company with relief creeping into their hearts, though they didn't relax. They gathered into a group, checking each other for injuries. There were none.

The door to Hope's room slid open. Bartholomew poked his head out, "Are they gone?" He asked quietly.

"Not likely. They just retreated." Lightning replied. Bartholomew nodded, he expected as much.

Every second was another pound of tension. It was quiet. All too quiet. No one even wanted to breathe.

Minutes passed...

**"L'Cie. Please surender. You have no chance, the building is surrounded."**

Lightning stuck her head around the corner. Out of the smashed floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw soldiers. Dozens. All with guns trained at anything that moved.

"What do we do?" Serah whispered, referring back to the childish hope that her sister would have the answers.

Lightning turned back to the group. They all expected answers out of her. "Well, we sure as hell aren't going to surrender."

"Well, what _can_ we do?" Noel muttered, "I mean, it's not like we can ask them politely to leave."

That gave Snow a really stupid idea.

He began to walk toward the shattered windows. Fang tried to stop him by grabbing his coat, but didn't even slow him down. "What are you doing?!" The Oerban hissed.

"I'm gonna talk to them." He replied.

"Snow!" Serah said, "Are you crazy?"

Noel muttered something that sounded like, "Yes."

"Don't worry." Snow said, "I'm not going to fight them. I'm just going to distract them so the rest of you can escape."

This man was going to get himself killed.

"Snow, that's suicide!" Fang snapped.

"Not to mention, completely rediculous!" Lightning added harshly.

"Well, what other choice do we have?" He nearly shouted back at her, "Would you rather Serah go out there? Or Hope?"

"No, but-"

"I'm going."

There was no point in arguing. Snow's head was as hard as it was thick.

Serah pulled him to her and reached up for a kiss, which he provided. "Just be careful." She whispered.

"Don't worry."

Easier said than done. No one had been free from worry since before the Purge. Since the War of Transgression. PSICOM was no joke, they would kill Snow, any of them, without a thought. Just an order, and a bullet.

Snow left. He was on a suicide mission. He knew that. They all knew that.

He said he was going to talk to them. And that's what he did.

* * *

"I'm here. Now leave these people alone!"

Typical. Ever the hero. Lightning ran through the layout of the house in her mind, trying to think of a way out.

**"We know you're not the only l'Cie. Where are the rest?"**

"They're long gone." Snow lied, "They left hours ago."

**"Is that so? Then why were you left behind?"**

"To keep _you guys_ from chasing after them." Snow sounded smug. Very believeable. "How well would you say that worked?"

**"You're lying. We know the others are in there. Tell them to join you, and you all might live."**

"Now _you're_ lying. I know you'd kill us all on the spot. If we were all even here!" Snow shouted.

**"The boy. He was injured after one of our ships blew him down, was he not?"**

The group inside the house tensed. Hope.

"You guys didn't even scratch him!" Snow insisted.

_**"Lies."**_

The last word covered up the sound of Hope's door sliding open. He came out slowly, one arm wrapped around his chest, with his father close behind.

"What's going on?"

Lightning turned and saw her injured friend, staring curiously out the window. She looked up at Bartholomew, his expression explained everything.

They were most likely all going to die. He wasn't going to confine his son to bed.

**"Why do you waste our time? This was a very sad attempt to save your friends. Several of my soldiers can tell you that they fought several people, wielding _magic_ inside that building."**

"If you knew, then why did you play along?"

Gasps. Lightning felt the cold nose of a gun against her neck. Adrenaline coursed through her. This was it. They were all going to die.

At least she got to see Serah again.

* * *

Snow stared into the face, or rather, mask, of the soldier in front of him. The soldier hadn't said a thing of course, but there was no visible source for the voice, so he stared at the faceless mask.

**"We have your friends, Snow Villiers. Come quietly and you will not be harmed." **

Snow snorted. _Not be harmed._ Right. If they had said that to him even a few days ago, he might have believed them. _Might._ But definitely not today.

**"Before, you say anything, how about some** **proof?"**

The soldiers all turned to the left, well, Snow's left, at the same time. Like a machine. He refused to turn, but did look in that direction.

Lightning and the others were paraded out in a line. Lightning. Fang. Noel. Serah. Hope. Snow had to admit, he deflated a little at the sight. At least he tried to help them. They knew he tried. If they all died right now, he wouldn't have any regrets.

**"Come along, Mr. Villiers."**

There was no way out. It was over. PSICOM won. No matter how many times Snow mulled the situation over in his mind, there was no way to fix it. When hands gripped his arms tightly and began to steer him towards the others, he didn't resist.

So unlike him.

They placed him at the end of the line, next to Hope. The silver-haired boy looked up at him with a bit of surprise, "So that's it?" He said, "We're just giving up?"

Snow would've answered him. But just then, the ship exploded.

* * *

The shockwave knocked everyone on their feet, PSICOM and l'Cie alike. About half the soldiers were close enough to be killed. Their corpses simply lay on the ground. The rest scrambled around after recovering, trying to find a functioning gun.

Another ship, one that must've been the culprit, which both did and didn't make sense, approached the building. Lightning shifted herself in front of Hope, who hadn't risen. The expression of pain on his face _really_ made those scrambling soldiers look like targets.

Before everyone could get back on their feet, missles were fired.

But not at them.

Groups of soldiers were blown off of the building. In the confusion, the l'Cie, plus Serah, who cradled Mog, and Noel, backed up into the house. "What's going on?" Bartholomew cried. Unlike most of the soldiers, the two that were holding him were alive.

Until Lightning put a couple of holes in their skulls.

Bartholomew stood, rubbing his wrists.

"Well," Fang said, glancing casually out at the carnage, "I'd say that either we have friends, or they have enemies."

"Hopefully both." Snow said.

Hearing his voice reminded Lightning how pissed she was at him. She shoved him against the wall, "You're an idiot! You almost got us all killed!" It didn't matter that she was shouting, the remaining soldiers couldn't hear her.

"Lightning!" Serah cried, "Leave him alone!"

Lightning turned on her sister, "You felt that gun! You were pulled out to be killed! Why are you defending him?"

"Because I love him! (Noel looked away) He wasn't the one who pulled the guns on us, Claire!"

Fang raised an eyebrow, "Claire?"

Lightning pulsed with red-hot... something. Serah used her name. Her _real_ name.

"Kupo!" Serah's little white, _thing_ jumped, or, bobbed in the air, and then hid behind Noel.

Hope stared at something past her, "Uh, Light?"

It almost hurt to hear him call her that.

"Well, well. Nice to see you again, Fang. You're much prettier when you smile though."

Fang scowled. On purpose, of course.

Lightning turned to see Fang's friend. If that's what he was. The man was wearing a uniform, and had messy brown hair that reached his shoulders. He smirked.

"That's my girl."

"What do you want, Rydgea?"

"What? Can't a guy just come and save your ass?" He jerked his gun toward her, "Or are you just too independent?"

"Tsk. This guy thinks he's funny."

"Damn straight. Now do you want a ride or not?"

Fang turned to Lightning, "I hate this guy." she said jokingly, "But we can trust him."

"You sure?"

"As sure as Snow is thick."

"Hey!"

Lightning turned to Hope. As the looked at him, she realized just how _thin_ he was. "You up for it?"

He still looked like he was in pain, but he put on a brave face, "Yeah."

"Son..."

"No, Dad. I have to do this."

Bartholomew looked torn. Lightning understood. He'd already lost Nora, he didn't want to lose Hope too.

"I'll be fine." Hope assured him.

Fang patted him on the back, Hope grimaced. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of him."

Bartholomew looked at each of them in turn. This was something no father should have to do. If he let his son go now, odds were that they'd never see each other again. He couldn't bear to think about it. But again, his son was a l'Cie now. He knew the legends, he knew what Hope would become if he failed his Focus. But he also knew what he would become if he didn't. Either way, Hope would be just as gone as Nora...

"I know you will."

* * *

They were leaving. Rydgea's men had either killed or captured the rest of the soldiers, so they were no longer a threat. But as they were boarding the ship, an extemely bright light came from nowhere. The whole group shielded their eyes. As it faded, and they saw the source, Serah's heart sunk. She knew what it was.

It was a gate.

"What the hell?" Rydgea said.

"It-it's a Time Gate." Serah said sadly, "It's here to take Noel and I home."

Lightning faced her sister, an almost helpless expression covered her face, "What?"

"The Gates show up when there's a paradox, a twist in time." Noel explained, "This one probably showed up because there isn't one anymore. It's a way to send us home."

Overcome, Lightning embraced her sister, "You can't just leave!"

"I'm sorry, Lightning." Serah mumbled, "But... we don't belong here. We don't belong in this time. We have to go."

It was like that old saying, 'If something is too good to be true, it probably is.' Lightning's throat tightened up, "Are you sure?"

Serah nodded, "I'm sorry."

_Don't cry._ "Will, I see you again?"

Serah smiled, "Of course." She turned to Snow, "And, Snow, it would probably be a good idea to listen to her. For future refrence."

He nodded. She was leaving? His heart constricted. Why now?

She hugged him, "Don't worry. I'm not as far away as you think." She pulled away and smiled, "Just try not to drop my tear, okay?"

Snow gave a halfhearted smirk, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Serah turned to Hope next, "Don't ever give up, okay? I know this is hard, but just keep at it. You'll be fine." She hugged him too. Hope felt his cheeks burn, and kept his arms at his sides as always. Her little white thing sat on his head.

"Stop it, Mog!" Noel scolded.

Mog bobbed around his head instead, causing Noel to sort of flail his arms. "Cut it out!"

Fang chuckled.

Serah whistled, and Mog flew to the gate. This was it. She was leaving. She faced the group, "Bye guys! I'll see you soon! Trust me."

Noel walked to her side, "C'mon, Serah. Let's go." The younger Farron gave one last wave before she and Noel turned around, and headed for the gate.

Lightning watched sadly as her sister vanished. She would just have to hold on to the hope that her sister's words were true.

She had to believe that she'd see her again.

* * *

**Done! I'm sorry this took so long, but I hope you liked it! If it means anything, I stayed up all night to finish this for you guys. (seriously, it's one in the morning right now) **


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